“That is a great tribute to the sport itself and to the rugby players themselves. They all also buy into the idea of putting on a rash vest [a shirt used for watersports] in the pool or in a gym as they want to respect the Japanese culture.

“If they are using a public pool, they will have to cover up. Players will also have to wear different trainers indoors and outdoors.”

The rules will “all be self-policing”, he added.

The New Zealand All Blacks have confirmed that their players – many of whom sport full or half-sleeve tattoos – will comply.

“When any of our teams tour we endeavour to be respectful of the local customs and culture, and this will be no different when we visit Japan both this year and next year,” New Zealand Rugby chief rugby officer Nigel Cass told news website Stuff.